Today is a sad day for fans of IDW’s Transformers comics, as James Roberts has confirmed on Twitter that the continuous continuity that has endured for over a decade will be coming to a close this September.

Launching with Infiltration #0 in October of 2005, IDW Publishing—then a relative newcomer to the comics market—would claim the fumbled Transformers license from the defunct Dreamwave comics and begin their take on the Transformers universe. Few would have expected they would succeed so spectacularly and create the single longest running continuous continuity in the franchise’s history; now in its twelfth year.

But unfortunately, all things must come to and end, and today, after months of looming evidence, we finally have confirmation that the universe will come to an end with the Unicron event.

James Roberts, the preeminent writer of More Than Meets the Eye and Lost Light had this to say:

To summarise: the current IDW G1 continuity will end (spectacularly) with Unicron #6, OP #25 and LL #25, all in September. All three are biweekly over summer. We've had time to plan for the end, so it's a proper, un-rushed wrap up. Beyond Sept? New IDW TF comics, new continuity.

Lost Light will end in the way that I always intended MTMTE to end, and I'm so pleased I can say that. Issue #16 marks the start of a 10 part series finale that is HUGE in scope. Expect things get bigger and deadlier and madder and weirder until… the end of the quest.

We now have confirmation that the “Barberts” era of IDW—coined for its two biggest contributors John Barber and James Roberts—will be the final chapter of the universe first started under the pen of legendary Transformers scribe Simon Furman all those years ago.

Although the news of the impending end will be sad news for many, fans can take heart that the finale of the IDW universe is a well-planned and proper close to the universe, a luxury that many comic stories are denied. Both Optimus Prime and Lost Light will run bi-weekly through the summer, with Unicron #6, Optimus Prime #25, and Lost Light #25 being the final capstone issues.

What comes next? Details are scarce, but we do know that licensed Transformers comics will continue under IDW with the launch of a new continuity. Will this new continuity be something more in-line with Hasbro’s Cyberverse and their “evergreen” vision for the brand? Only time well tell, but that seems likely.

So let us not fall too despondent that IDW as we know it is coming to and end, let us rejoice that this little comic company that could achieved what few expected possible: a continuity beloved by its fans that will have managed to run for 13 years.

The franchise may once again transform, but deep down…we know….IT NEVER ENDS!

If you want to reminisce about IDW and discuss the news with your fellow fans, check out Allspark Forums here, and if you’re a new user make sure to get an account here. Or if you prefer, jump right into the live chat on our Discord server!

Magellan Mulligan has been a fan of Transformers for nearly as long as he can remember. He started taking a serious interest in Transformers near the tail end of G2, but it was Beast Wars that truly solidified his love for the franchise. He's been part of the online fan community since the late 90's, but has made the Allspark his primary home for the last several years under the username Vexwing.